With the arrival of new viscose crepe fabrics in the shop, I wanted to talk to you about this very special material.

Indeed, under the concept of the word crepe, not to be confused with the crepe which is a culinary specialty ;-), lies a group of fabrics with various properties.

Let’s look at this together...

Fabric category

Crepe is a woven fabric, as opposed to knitted fabrics.

It is woven in toile weave like poplin or batiste. Weave is the technical term used to describe the type of weaving. 

The plain weave, on the other hand, is characterized by each weft thread passing under one warp thread before passing over the next warp thread. This weaving method creates a dense and strong mesh. 

So what makes the difference between poplin and crepe? Well, it’s the yarn!

In the beginning, there was the yarn

Yes, the yarn parameters greatly influence the final appearance of a fabric. 

The influencing parameters are:

• the type of fibers composing the strand
• the fineness of the fiber
• the twist

The most important parameter that gives crepe its uniqueness is the twist of the yarn strand. Indeed, the threads used to make crepe are heavily twisted until they tend to curl up. In fact, the word crepe itself comes from the Latin crispus, which means curly or wavy. This twisting of the yarn strands also gives it a distinctive, very recognizable feel. 

A brief history note

Originally, crepe was woven with silk thread. Then, as this material was relatively expensive, weavers turned to wool and later to cotton. 

Today, you can find:

• crepes made from natural fibers like silk crepe, cotton crepe, wool crepe,...
• crepes made from artificial fibers like viscose crepe which you will find in store
• crepes made from synthetic fibers like polyester crepe.

Plain crepe fabric does not exist; it is always followed by the composition of its fiber

Characteristics of all crepes

Crepes are fairly fluid fabrics with mostly a nice, quite heavy drape; it is necessary to carefully refer to the raw material used and the fabric's weight. 
Due to the significant twisting of the fibers, crepe has a lightweight elasticity despite being a woven fabric. It is very suitable for making women's clothing such as dresses, skirts, blouses... It is a fabric that works very well for draping like cowl necks, loose and flowing dresses, but also wedding dresses...

Atelier Brunette viscose crepes offered in store are soft and flowing. With its fine sand-like touch (due to the twisting of the fibers) and its lightness, the Atelier Brunette viscose crepe is truly perfect for starting to sew this material. And why not a Sonia dress from Maison Fauve in a two-tone version (see photo above)?